Thailand’s province of Lop Buri this week saw a massive fight of hundreds of hungry monkeys, as reported by local media, over a single piece of a banana.
According to media reports, the fight took place between two “rival gangs” of monkeys - temple monkeys and city monkeys.
Video of the fight was recorded and posted online by Sasaluk Rattanachai, according to the Bangkok Post.
“They looked more like wild dogs than monkeys. They went crazy for the single piece of food. I've never seen them this aggressive,” Rattanachai said, cited by the Daily Mail. “I think the monkeys were very, very hungry. There's normally a lot of tourists here to feed the monkeys but now there are not as many, because of the coronavirus”.
The dramatic video features hundreds of monkeys running around a street before chasing a single monkey that reportedly possessed a banana. The video quality does not establish whether the monkey in question was able to retain its fruit.
Is this what the beginning of the end of the world looks like, or is it the beginning of planet of the apes?
— David Videcette (@DavidVidecette) March 11, 2020
Hundreds of monkeys go on the rampage in Thailand after the tourists who normally feed them stay away due to coronavirus pic.twitter.com/E8Kghf6nlW
Locals, shocked by the ferocity of the fight, noted that the monkeys are usually fed by tourists, but the tourism has plummeted due to the coronavirus.
A journalist went to interview the monkey that involved in the fight in Lopburi, Thailand and it’s glad that none is hurt according to the interview. pic.twitter.com/INWmE7D5SL
— Nham Sitthivut (@Sitthivut) March 12, 2020